By Greg Horner, Senior Editor.
The college Board of Trustees returned to Delta’s main campus for the monthly board meeting held on Thurs. Dec 8. The biggest part of the agenda was the decision to participate with the Federal Communications Commission’s broadcast TV spectrum auction.
In layman’s terms, the FCC is purchasing television stations across the country in order to open up bandwidth frequencies for broadband data transmission. The board held a special meeting Thursday, Dec. 3 to receive a rundown of the situation from Vincent Curren, the former senior vice president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Trustee Earl Selby motioned that the board grant authority to President Jean Goodnow, Board Chair Mike Rowley and Executive Director of Institutional Advancement Pam Clark to decide on behalf of Delta’s WDCQ Q-TV.
The college has to decide by Jan. 12 whether it will participate; Clark and Broadcasting General Manager Tom Bennet have outlined the options Delta has moving forward, though no decision has been made. A quiet period, mandated by the FCC, will take effect after the January cutoff. After that period the board will not be able to comment further on the matter.
The board also approved revisions to the college endowment fund’s investment and distribution policy. The fund, which today sits at just under $20 million, provides money for scholarships and programs at Delta; the policy outlines how the college should invest that money (in bonds, stocks, etc.) so the fund can grow and still succeed in its mission.
According to Trustee Robert Emrich, the revisions are superficial word changes, and no actual change in procedure will take place.
Other topics covered at the meeting include:
- Professors Kim Klein and Tim Allen talked to the board about their student success in Delta’s Race to College. The event is designed to foster a relationship between children and local police. During the presentation, Delta students Ramon Hernandez and Dustin Robinson talked about participating in the event while Jamal Cannon, from Jesse Loomis Elementary School, talked about how much he enjoyed it.
- Bruce Faccio, Brent Pashak and James Proctor gave an overview of the college’s welding program. During the presentation Paige Berg, a welding student, demonstrated the department’s new simulator, which allows students to try out and practice welding in a stress-free environment. Faccio hopes the simulator will encourage enrollment from students not traditionally seen as welders and build interest in the program.
- Deb Lutz gave the monthly treasurer’s report in which she reaffirmed that the college was in good cash standing and that Delta’s accounts were financially sound.
- The board voted to go into closed session to discuss with counsel a written legal opinion.
